First, having to recover from two goals down at home to claim a draw with Inverness, now unable to break down a gutsy Partick Thistle side who can be proud to have stretched their unbeaten run to six games.

The frustration was clear to see on the faces of the Dons players and heard even clearer in the boos of the home support who could only watch helplessly as their side huffed and puffed but failed to blow down Thistle’s sturdy back four.

Storm Frank had finished battering Scotland by the time we got to kick off but there was still a huge swell of high pressure hanging over Pittodrie.

Having counted their blessings that their Boxing Day draw against Inverness hadn’t proved too bruising – with Celtic and Hearts also sharing the points the next day – this was another opportunity to put themselves in pole position with the Hoops game in Dundee called off.

But they knew better than to expect a stroll to the summit against a Partick Thistle side high on the confidence of their best top-flight winning run in four decades and chasing a fifth consecutive victory to match an even better record last seen in 1972.

They’d have to do it without the help of one of their key men in midfield, however, as Sean Welsh finally sat out a suspension that he would have served already had their Boxing Day clash at home to St Johnstone not been rained off.

That made space for Australia Under-23 internationalist Ryan Edwards to make only his second start since signing on at Firhill in September.

Having only lost two games at home in 2015 – against Celtic in May and St Johnstone in October – Dons looked hungry to see out the year with another convincing Pittodrie display as they piled all the early pressure on their guests.

It nearly paid off too just inside 10 minutes when Dan Seaborne couldn’t get enough power in his defensive header and it looped to Jonny Hayes in the box but the Dons star couldn’t quite get his tight-angled shot on target.

Jags stopper Liam Lindsay put himself under pressure early on, copping a 14th-minute booking for cynically barging Hayes – but not quickly enough to stop the wide man from hooking in a delivery for Adam Rooney ghosting in ahead of his man to steer an effort just wide.

They were getting ominously closer though and Thistle rode their luck when Niall McGinn’s 19th-minute cutback found Graeme Shinnie with time to take a touch on the edge of the area and curl a lovely effort that crashed off the bar.

Yet after that things suddenly dried up in the final third as Dons struggled to find that killer final ball to carve open a well organised Jags back four.

Dons star Kenny McLean was next to cop a booking for charging into a 50-50 tackle with Edwards a little too eagerly for referee Kevin Clancy’s liking.

Clancy’s busy little flurry didn’t finish there, however, as his cards were back out for David Amoo seconds before half-time for crashing in late on Shay Logan.

It was a similar tale of frustration after the restart as too often Aberdeen’s final ball let them down.

There was a glimmer of hope in 56 minutes when Shinnie’s long ball into the box found its target with Ash Taylor rising to nod it down into the path of Hayes sliding in front of goal.

The danger was blocked by Tomas Cerny but, nevertheless, this was more encouraging stuff for the home side.

Thistle captain Abdul Osman had been putting himself about in the crowded midfield engine room but the big man’s physical style got too much for whistler Clancy when he flattened McLean to earn a 58th-minute booking that had been brewing for some time.

Aberdeen midfielder Graeme Shinnie hits the bar (Image: SNS Group)

That wasn’t the only thing overdue and by 65 minutes Dons boss McInnes recognised it by shuffling his lacklustre pack, ending Ryan Jack’s 200th appearance for the Dons to inject the pace of Peter Pawlett.

The impact was almost instant as Aberdeen came at the Jags with renewed vigour and purpose.

McLean’s raking low drive had Cerny scrambling to his left to claw it out of his bottom corner then Pawlett went charging forward on an electric solo run to have a go from a narrow angle.

That was saved but when Hayes pounced on the rebound it seemed Partick were in deep trouble but yet again they managed to crowd out the danger.

Thistle had barely threatened at the other end so the introduction of striker Mathias Pogba – in place of Edwards – added an interesting new dimension for the last half hour.

Even more so when his raking shot across goal screamed a foot wide of Danny Ward’s far post.

For all their dominance Dons were becoming desperate now and with just three minutes left it looked like they were about to snatch the victory they so craved when Hayes dashed forward to pump a low ball into the crowded box.

Adam Rooney had a go at it but when it broke to Shinnie no more than six yards out he looked a cert to stick it away until a heroic last-gasp lunge from Liam Lindsay made a vital block.

Not even five minutes of added time was enough for Dons to make the breakthrough.

The harsh truth is they could have played all night and still not scored, which is as much a credit to Thistle’s organisation and desire as Aberdeen’s woeful lack of cutting edge on a night when yet another big chance to put real pressure on Celtic slipped through their fingers.